Should you upgrade to the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus or iPhone X?

Apple on 12th September 2017 finally announced the much talked about iPhones: the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the “innovative” iPhone X along with the Apple Watch Series 3 and the 4K Apple TV. The Apple Event was also Apple’s way of showing off the new Steve Jobs Theater in the Apple Park Campus, Cupertino, California.

So before we start let me tell you if you’re owning the iPhone 7 launched last year, you definitely shouldn’t buy any of the new iPhones. Well, firstly for a common person it’s not easy buying an iPhone these days.And practically the new iPhone 8 is quite identical to the iPhone 7 from last year, with just a few upgrades. There is certainly performance boost, but probably it isn’t worth the hundreds of dollars they’ll cost you.

So now let’s break down the new iPhones for you:

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus

The iPhone 8 and the iPhone 8 Plus both have Apple’s A11 ‘Bionic’ chipset which now has become Apple’s fastest chipsets with a six-core CPU, Okay I know, even the budget Android now have an eight-core CPU but that’s why I mentioned “Apple’s fastest chipset”. However, comparing Android and Apple processors by this metric has been a dead end for years. I’m pretty sure there may be some of the most powerful phones in existence – I’ll test this out if I get my hands on the phone in the upcoming weeks.

As expected Apple hasn’t announced detailed clock speeds, but it does claim their six-core 64-bit processors (two performance cores, four high-efficiency cored) will be 25% faster than the A10 chip in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus when using the performance cores and 70% faster using the high-efficiency cores. Other specifications include a six-core GPU, M11 motion coprocessor, Apple is yet to confirm this, but the iPhone 8 is likely to have 2GB RAM, the iPhone 8 Plus 3GB.

Storage options have also been changed this time around with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus available with either 64GB or 256GB storage. There’s no “budget” 32GB option or 128GB option available.

But here’s something: when was the last time when your still new iPhone 7 actually lagged in performance or was too slow to complete a task? It probably hasn’t happened to you yet and probably won’t happen for the next 2 years. Cause iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus is still a perfectly capable smartphone that can run your even performance-hungry apps with ease.

Similarly, let’s have a look at the cameras on these phones. The iPhone 8 has a retained the single 12-megapixel rear camera with f/1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization, while the iPhone 8 Plus has a dual camera with an added 12-megapixel telephoto camera with lowly f/2.8 aperture and no OIS. This means the iPhone 8 won’t be able to use Portrait mode, which actually blurs out the background to get you photos that have the look of a DSLR shot taken with a wide aperture lens. The Portrait mode on the iPhone has been beefed up with a “clever” trick that analyses faces and lets you digitally alter the lighting to make it appear as a studio photo. There are four Portrait Lighting modes. Studio Light, Contour Light, Stage Light and Stage Light Mono.

Along with improving general image processing, Apple also enabled some pretty impressive video features. The new iPhones can shoot 4K video at 60fps, up from 30fps last year, and slow-motion 240fps footage at 1080p. Last year’s iPhone 7 phones could only shoot 240fps slo-mo at 720p. Around the front, the secondary cameras remain largely unchanged, each phone using a 7-megapixel sensor.

But again: When was the last time you felt that the picture you clicked using your iPhone 7 wasn’t good enough?

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are almost identical to every iPhone since the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus with the change being a bit controversial for some. The aluminum back that the predecessors were housed in has been swapped for glass making the smartphones noticeably thicker and heavier with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus being 7% heavier than the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Keeping aside the Glass backs, the phones look completely similar with the same sizeable top and bottom bezels but that means you still have the much-needed home button and Touch ID.

You can get the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in the familiar silver and Space Grey, as well as a new gold tone.

Some people may question the durability of the smartphones at the mention of more smash-able glass on these new iPhones, but it also allows Apple to feature its new AirPower wireless charging. This uses the most common Qi standard, enabling them to be used by most wireless charging pads available right now.

One subtle boost the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models is a stereo speaker array. The drivers are located at the bottom and the top of the phone, getting you better sound, particularly while playing a game or watching a video in landscape orientation. Apple says you get 25% more volume than an iPhone 7 Plus. Both phones are splash and dust resistant, to the IP67 standard. This means you can dunk them in water, but that’s completely at your own risk. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus retain the displays of its predecessors, the Retina HD with the same size of 4.7 inch and 5.5-inch LED-backlit IPS displays.

The iPhone 8 costs $699/£699 for the 64GB model and $849/£849 for the 256GB version. While you’ll have to pay $100/£100 extra for the iPhone 8 Plus, that’s $799/£799 for the 64GB model and $949/£949 for the 256GB model. (According to the new dollar-to-pound parity on the new range of Apple products).

iPhone X

Now, let’s talk about the iPhone X. Apple celebrated iPhone’s tenth anniversary with a special edition iPhone X. Tim Cook at the Steve Jobs Theater described it as “the biggest leap forward since the original iPhone.” Retaining the A11 Bionic Chip from the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple introduces facial recognition, which it calls Face ID. It works using the TrueDepth camera system, situated at top of the display. Apple claims it will not be confused by hairstyles, whether you’re wearing a hat, or if you decide to grow a beard. According to Apple software chief Craig Federighi, the iPhone will also be able to recognize your face through “most” sunglasses, as long as they let through enough infrared light.

The iPhone X features a dual lens 12-megapixel rear camera, with dual optical image stabilization. The camera is made up of a f/1.8 aperture wide-angle lens and f/2.4 aperture telephoto lens. The front 7-megapixel now support Portrait mode, with auto image stabilization and exposure control. Both cameras use the new Natural Lighting effect introduced on the iPhone 8, and the new augmented reality features. Video has also been improved with 4K resolution movies at 60fps now possible, plus slow-motion video at 240fps.

The USP of the smartphone is that its all screen. Yes, its completely an OLED display – the first of its kind in an iPhone – called the Super Retina Display, sized at 5.8-inches with a 2436×1125 pixels resolution. As said its all screen, so Apple has made away with the ‘home’ button.

The device despite having no button on the front, due to the screen’s size is quite intuitive to use. Swipe up to reach the home screen, use raise-to-wake, or just tap on the screen to get started. These gestures work intuitively across the operating system. Siri is still activated by voice, or by using the larger side button. A double tap on the side sleep/wake key activates Apple Pay.

According to reports, Apple had plans to build Touch ID under the iPhone X’s screen but had to abandon the idea of course, due to manufacturing issues. Made from surgical-grade stainless steel, with glass on the rear panel it s water and dust resistant and will be available in space gray and silver.

The iPhone X costs $999/£999 for the 64GB model and $1149/£1149 for the 256GB version. (According to the new dollar-to-pound parity on the new range of Apple products).

My Verdict:

Okay, so I agree iPhone X is surely a move forward for the iPhone, and the iPhone surely has a few specs that I loved. I’m still not convinced over Face ID as a way of unlocking the phone, but if Apple can truly be able to “learn” your face over time, it could work well.

Next, to the iPhone X, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus may seem a bit ordinary, but they’re completely recommended if you are upgrading from an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6S but definitely not to be bought if you already own the iPhone 7. Why? Cause it’s completely the same with just a few performance updates.

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